What Would I Do Without You
by MyCedarChest
Summary: Filling in some of the blanks left by Star Trek Beyond. Spock and Uhura missing scene.


Most of the characters in this story belong to Paramount and whoever else has current legal ownership of all things Star Trek at the moment. No infringement on any corporate, business, or individual's rights is intended in any way. This story is not being written for profit, just for enjoyment.

"What would I do without you?" Kirk's words to him hung in the humid air as they both slumped onto the crowded deck of the tiny ship.

As Spock began to consider Kirk's question he suddenly felt a liquid warmth spread along and down the right side of his borrowed uniform. No doubt the temporary seal that Dr. McCoy had hastily placed on one of the arteries had reopened. And without having transfused blood to replace the blood he had already lost he immediately began to feel the impending loss of consciousness take hold of him as he lay his head against the bulkhead and closed his eyes.

As the ship touched down roughly upon the deck of the Yorktown his last conscious thought was one of longing for his bond mate and the last words he heard were McCoy shouting "Dammit Jim, he's bleeding out again!"

Uhura was helping place one of the injured crew upon a gurney when she looked up and watched as the drone ship piloted by McCoy touched down hard, ungracefully sliding several meters before coming to a stop. Suddenly the tenuous bond that she shared with her bond mate seemed to waver unsteadily, She immediately sprinted off at a dead run towards the smoking drone ship knowing instinctively that Spock now lay dying within it.

As she continued to run she forced her attention away from the ship long enough to flag down a medical team cutting her speed so that she could speak clearly. "Please help me!" she implored the team who slowed down long enough to turn their heads and look at her. "There is a critically injured crewmember on board that ship that needs immediate medical attention." She wasn't above pulling rank on them to force them to assist her but thankfully the team turned the gurney around and began to run with her towards the drone ship.

Kirk was climbing out of the hatch his hands holding Spock under his armpits as McCoy helped from below in lifting the Vulcan's limp body out of the ship. One of the medics reached up to help gently pull the unconscious Commander the rest of the way out of the ship. The other medic along with Uhura then joined the three of them and even with their combined strength they barely managed to lift him onto the gurney. Spock's sheer size combined with the density of his muscles and bones had made him extremely heavy and unwieldy in his state of unconsciousness.

She ran beside the gurney as the medical team navigated it along the crowded walkway towards the medical center and deftly reached out to take Spock's left hand within her right one to thread her fingers securely between his unnaturally cool ones. She tried her best to push only thoughts of encouragement to him through their weakening bond. She was relieved to feel a small bump from him against her consciousness and she immediately began to talk to him in Vuhlkansu knowing that he could hear her words to him now. "Do not give up the battle to live, my beloved. I will never leave you and I will never let you go."

Through his unconscious body he could now feel his bond mate summon him to action. And with her touch he forced his mind to focus solely on the bond between them blocking out all other bonds. Her promises to him had now become his lifeline.

Quickly formulating a plan to save her bond mate she remembered that there was a Vulcan healer on the Yorktown when they had arrived for shore leave and she now desperately hoped that he was still on board. "Kirk, we need to get the Vulcan healer Hakausu Kril'es to the hospital ASAP so he can help Spock. I know he was on the Yorktown just before we left. Can you please locate him and bring him to us?"

Kirk quickly looked down at his First Officer now lying unnaturally still on the gurney and then up again to meet her eyes with a new found determination. "You bet." He replied firmly, pulling out his battered communicator and beginning to speak quietly into it as he fell back a few paces from the gurney.

McCoy looked over Spock's prone body at Uhura, concern now etched deeply into his face. "I don't know if they have any Vulcan blood on board or not, but Spock's T Negative blood type is considered rare even by Vulcan standards so I have my doubts."

Uhura tried to bat away a tear in her left eye that had been threatening to fall. "I know Len, but the healer can help to stabilize him and allow his body to properly enter into a healing trance. He's too weak now to do it on his own. Once he enters a healing trance he will be able to begin healing himself and we will have the time we need to help him.

As the group entered the doors to the ground floor urgent care center McCoy loudly called out to the front desk "I need a Rapid Response Team on the double!" as the medics pulled Spock's gurney into an empty triage room to the left of the desk. An orderly quickly joined them in the room and working together they all moved Spock onto the treatment table. Uhura refused to release Spock's hand and she gracefully maneuvered around the medics and orderly while still keeping a firm grasp on his hand.

McCoy quickly sanitized his hands and grabbed a laser cutter focusing all his attention on cutting both the uniform and the thermal liner around Spock's torso quickly away exposing Spock's injury to the medical team.

Uhura cringed as she looked at the wound. It was jagged, discolored, and a steady stream of blood oozed from the base of the wound. Two doctors and three nurses suddenly ran into the room and one of the nurses immediately turned to her taking her by the arm in an apparent attempt to try to lead her away from the table. Uhura stiffened at the forced separation and held her ground defiantly.

"She stays!" McCoy called out loudly to the nurse who immediately stopped her movements.

She looked at Uhura with heartfelt sympathy, and then gently re-positioned her less than a foot away from the table. "Just give us a little more room to work, Lieutenant." The nurse requested with an understanding smile.

Uhura barely managed a nod back to the nurse and reluctantly allowed her body be moved only slightly farther from Spock as her eyes began to focus on the monitors at the foot of the treatment table. She had been studying Vulcan medicine for several years by taking sub space courses. After all she was a Vulcan's bond mate. As she translated the monitors' readings into Vuhlkansu physiology she knew that the current readings did not bode well for Spock. She squeezed Spock's hand gently twice and then closed her eyes doing her best to focus on their still weakening bond as she pushed love and comfort across the bond to him.

Suddenly the triage room door slid open to reveal the Vulcan healer Kril'es who swiftly moved to stand next to Spock's head, the healer's dark brown robes billowing around him as he moved. Uhura felt Kirk at her side now.

"Thank you!" she whispered in relief to Kirk, her eyes quickly focusing on Kril'es' face hoping to find some sign of hope there.

Kirk reached out one hand to squeeze her left shoulder tenderly. "I don't want to but I am going to wait outside and give everyone here including you of course a little more room to work."

She turned her head to watch as McCoy reopened Spock's wound and the nurses began to push IV fluids into Spock's arm. Kril'es wasted no time and immediately began a mind meld with Spock as he laid the aged fingers of his left hand upon the psi points of Spock's face.

After a few minutes of intense concentration Kril'es' head suddenly turned to her, his black eyes focusing intently on her, their eyes locking with one another. He began to speak to her in Vuhlkansu. "His body has begun to shut down but his mind will only join with yours. I regret that I cannot reach out to him to offer my assistance in placing him into a healing trance."

Uhura had to fight back her tears at the news. "So there is nothing that you can do for him now?"

The elder healer's eyes closed for a second, reopening them quickly as if remembering something long forgotten. "Knowing now that you are his bond mate then perhaps…" he began.

The monitors suddenly began to sound with various alarms as the doctors hurriedly began the surgery.

"His body is starting to reject the fluids now doctors." One of the nurses reported.

"Then start pumping the fluids into his femoral arteries too." McCoy quickly ordered the nurses as they immediately began to cut Spock's tattered trousers from around his waist. They quickly began to insert two IVs one in each leg.

"Perhaps?" Uhura urgently repeated back to Kril'es desperate for him to finish his sentence now. She knew that time was quickly running out for Spock.

"Perhaps if I joined the two of you in kal'i'farr then your mind would be able to reboot his metabolic processes thus allowing him to enter into a healing trance." He finished looking deeply into her eyes as if reaching into her very soul for her understanding and agreement.

Uhura had read of documented cases of this life saving technique being used between married Vulcan couples, but to her knowledge it had never been performed between a Vulcan and a human before. However she was willing to do anything and every thing if it meant saving Spock's life. "What must I do?" she eagerly asked the elder Vulcan.

Kril'es bowed his head respectfully to her at her willingness to save her bond mate. "You must FIGHT with all of your heart and soul for him." He answered her simply before quickly rounding the table and placing himself between her and Spock. He then skillfully and swiftly placed his right hand's fingers upon Spock's psi points and placed his left hand's fingers upon her psi points. Without preamble he immediately began the ceremony, his deep voice rising up above the monitor's alarms.

She sucked in a quick breath as she felt the healer enter her mind. Forcing herself to relax into his touch she opened her mind up to him giving him the access he now urgently demanded from her. The details of this ceremony were still unknown to her even though she and Spock had planned to marry after her graduation from Star Fleet Academy. But unfortunately the catastrophes and chaos that had defined their lives for the past four years had not permitted them to do so. And even though she knew the basic intent of the ceremony, the speed at which the healer pulled her mind into Spock's was still quite unexpected. She quickly calmed herself and focused all of her mental capacity upon following the healer as he swiftly led her mind deeper and deeper into Spock's mind. She had only melded with Spock once and then only under the guidance of T'Pau so she was still very much the novice in the techniques of melding. But understanding that she was now responsible for saving Spock's life she let her love for him overpower her uncertainty about her mind melding skills, trusting Kril'es to complete the ceremony swiftly and properly. She felt more than heard the ritualistic words of the kal'i'farr ceremony as she began to feel her mind merge with Spock's.

As Kril'es spoke the single word "Telik!" she knew that her mind was now completely joined with Spock's and she wasted no time as she swiftly left Kril'es' mind behind. And with renewed effort she thrust her mind deeper into Spock's aiming her intense focus into her bond mate's very core. She quickly recognized the weakened areas and she began to concentrate her determined will upon stabilizing not only these areas but also completing the task of restoring all of Spock's base-line functions as well.

Not even able to breathe on her own anymore, she felt as if she no longer existed as a separate being as her mind continued to entwine with Spock's. She found herself having to force one breath after another into her own body with the inherent understanding that she was now breathing for both of them. She began to feel the beat of her heart as it merged with his and the composite echo of the rush of blood flowing between them created a rapid and irregular beat within her head. She continued to concentrate on stabilizing his vital signs until she felt the combined beating of their hearts merge into a unified, steady, and strong rhythm. To her relief she could now feel his mind weakly reach out to touch hers and the truth of his devotion to her above all else was made clear to her. She now knew within her very soul that he would never leave her. Her mind readily embraced his and she immediately felt his mind's presence within her begin to grow stronger. She knew at that exact moment that she had won the fight for her bond mate's survival when she felt Spock entering into his healing trance. Her mind was suddenly awash with unbridled happiness followed almost immediately by a great sense of relief and an even greater fatigue. Tried as she might to remain awake, she felt herself start to give in to her exhaustion. The feel of strong arms around her lifting her up was the last sensation she remembered.

When she opened her eyes again she found herself lying next to Spock, her head resting on his left shoulder. They were lying on a large bio bed in a room with a large window that looked out over one of the access ports into the maintenance bay of the Yorktown space port. Her head felt fuzzy almost as if she were still asleep and dreaming. She closed her eyes briefly and relished the feel of the soft, warm blanket that she was lying under as the fingers on her left hand delicately rubbed a tentative path over Spock's bare abdomen. She felt him stir very slightly under her fingertips and then still once more. Focusing on their newly formed marital bond she could now feel the relaxed and pain-free state of his body as well as his mind. She was most satisfied with the knowledge that her bond mate….now her adun was rapidly recovering from his injuries as he lay next to her still deep within his healing trance. She slowly flexed the fingers of her right hand, knotting them within the soft, inky strands of Spock's hair as she cradled his stubbled chin against the top of her own head. Her thoughts suddenly turning humorous she realized that awakening to an unconscious, partially clothed husband was not exactly how she had envisioned spending 'the morning after' her marriage to Spock at all. But then again their relationship never had been, and most likely would never be 'conventional'…and she knew for a fact that she wouldn't have it any other way. Smiling to herself she slowly closed her eyes and a long sigh of what she knew was contentment escaped her as she molded herself against the solid warmth of his body once again and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

After what seemed to be only minutes she was awakened and opened her eyes looking up to find Kril'es standing over their bed, his black eyes watching her with a poorly disguised, for a Vulcan that is, expectation within them. She couldn't help but smile up at him now grateful without words for his help in saving Spock's life. And to her surprise the elder healer's eyes seem almost to smile back at her.

"By my calculations Osu Spokh will remain in his healing trance for the next 4.2 standard hours before awakening." He announced to her.

Uhura quickly looked at the chron mounted to the wall above Spock's monitors. She was surprised that she had been asleep with Spock for almost 10 hours now, but she still felt like she could easily sleep for 10 more.

"When he awakens his injuries will be healed and only a slight soreness at the wound site will remain." He continued to inform her in his deep, quiet voice, his black eyes now focused intently on her. "And once he awakens I can began the annulment proceedings."

Her eyes widened in surprise at his unexpected statement. "Annulment proceedings?" she questioned.

The elderly Vulcan eyes softened a bit as he continued to lock eyes with her. "When your mind entered his during the kal'i'farr ceremony I could feel a hesitation within you and I assumed that your hesitation was the result of your unwillingness at being forced to become Osu Spokh's adun'a in order to save his life."

Nyota eyes went wide at his words. "NO! My hesitation was due to being unsure of my ability to meld with him properly so that I could save his life." She explained to the elder Vulcan.

"I did not find you lacking in such skills T'sai Nyota." He countered with a small, respectful bow of his head. "Quite the contrary. I found your mind to be exceptionally logical and well ordered as well as quite determined. And I can now readily understand why it was that Osu Spokh had bonded with you so many years ago."

Nyota couldn't help but smile at his kind words as she raised her head up from Spock's shoulder. Even though she wanted to sit or stand up in order to address the healer in a more respectful fashion, she could not bear to break contact with Spock just yet. And she hoped that Kril'es would understand. She relaxed back onto his shoulder as she began to speak again. "Spokh and I intended to enter into kal'i'farr directly after my graduation from Star Fleet….but then one disaster and catastrophe after another happened, and we just seemed to drift apart from each other during the almost four years that followed the destruction of Vulcan."

"What I found within each of your minds when I touched them would negate such a view of your relationship with him. Even though you had experienced separations from him on a physical level, you were and still are quite attached to each other spiritually." He offered up to her in explanation. "My adun'a and I were off planet when Vulcan was destroyed." Kril'es noted, sadness now clouding his dark eyes. "But our bond has grown even stronger because of our shared experiences coping with our home world's destruction. And it would appear that the bond between you has also grown stronger because of the trials and tribulations that you both have endured."

His words made sense to her. Even during their extended physical separations she had always 'felt' close to him. And through all of the bad times that they had experienced both personally and professionally, neither of them had ever asked the other to break their bond. Even when he decided that he would leave Star Fleet for New Vulcan, they still had not agreed to break their bond. "So in regard to the annulment of our marriage, I am quite content to remain in my marital bond with Spokh." But without warning a feeling of doubt surged up within her. "Unless Spokh wishes to annul our marital bond that is. And if he does so, then I would abide by his wishes." She added quickly.

Kril'es suddenly made a noise which Uhura could have sworn to be a chuckle. "In my brief travels within Osu Spokh's mind I can state with absolute certainty that he will NOT be in favor of annulling the marital bond he now shares with you." The healer declared, his eyes taking on a twinkle of what she now recognized as amusement. "And I also believe most strongly that he would be so inclined to continue with his post kal'i'farr plan for you and he to increase the Vuhlkansu population."

Uhura sucked in a quick breath and let it out as slowly trying to calm herself at the implications of healer's observations. "Post kal'i'farr plan?"

"Indeed." The healer replied followed with a solemn nod towards Spock.

Visions of dark skinned mini-Spocks suddenly appeared in her mind and she couldn't help but smile at the elder Vulcan. "Indeed." She echoed in agreement.

"Then with your permission I will message Ko-te'kru T'Pau and Osu Sarek to impart the news that Osu Spokh will recover from his injuries. And I will also inform them that I have performed the kal'i'farr ceremony and that you and Osu Spokh are so bonded." The elder Vulcan announced formally to her. His eyes then opened slightly wider as he continued speaking but in a quieter voice. "I am certain however that even though Ko-te'kru T'Pau will be most pleased with both of my messages, she will be somewhat displeased that she was not the one to perform the kal'i'farr ceremony herself. She holds both you and Osu Spock in high regards."

Uhura could have sworn that she saw a flash of pride within the healer's black eyes no doubt quite pleased with his solitary claim to the 'honor' of marrying them.

Uhura suddenly realized that she and Spock marrying away from both New Vulcan and Earth did solve several logistic as well as emotional dilemmas for each of them. "Considering how both our families are a bit on the high strung side, being formally bonded in the kal'i'farr on the Yorktown has actually solved a major problem for us, Now we are no longer required to choose between engaging in the pomp and ceremony of our formal bonding ceremony on either New Vulcan or Earth:

"Then I am most honored to have served both you and Osu Spokh in this capacity, T'sai Nyota." Kril'es acknowledged his facial expression quickly turning to one of concern as he looked intently down at her. "Even though the situation dictated it, the speed at which I bonded you in the kal'i'farr ceremony has unfortunately over-taxed you. You are in need of more rest in order to recover your health. I will take my leave of you at this juncture so that you may have such rest." He informed her, his voice becoming softer.

Uhura found she had to fight back a yawn at his words. The healer was indeed most accurate with his diagnosis of her current physical state. She could feel her energy levels plummeting as the seconds passed by her. She needed a nap in the worst way now. "My thanks to you for all you have done for us, Hakausu Kril'es."

"There is great honor in service, Tsai Nyota." He replied formally and with a solemn nod of his head, the elder healer swiftly walked out of the room, his brown robes billowing around and behind him as he disappeared through the sliding door.

She repositioned the blanket upon both of them and then relaxed as she once again lay her head gently down on his bare shoulder, her right hand moving to the back of his neck to gently massage the thankfully warm skin found there. She then slowly slid her left arm around his waist so that her hand now rested lightly on his right hip being careful not to touch any of the IV tubes that continued to pump fluids into Spock's body. Once she was settled, she quickly felt her eyes closing of their own accord as she peacefully drifted off to sleep and dreamed of a house full of dark skinned mini-Spocks.

She was awakened far too quickly once again, feeling that she had only slept a few minutes and definitely not nearly enough to eliminate her exhaustion. As she slowly looked up from Spock's shoulder she found McCoy standing over them, his clean and freshly shaved face lit up in almost a manic smile, no doubt the result of the consumption of numerous liters of the extra strong coffee that most medical centers had on hand every crew shift.

"Sorry to wake you darling" he drawled out, the smile never leaving his face. "But the Hobgoblin is officially topped off now so the IVs are going to need to come out." He told her slowly pulling the blanket back from them and then reaching out to gently take her by left arm and help her sit up on the bed next to Spock. "And it seems that none of the nurses here wanted to come in and take 'em out telling me that you two were just SO CUTE and they just didn't have the HEART to disturb you. But you know me…the cold, heartless bastard that I am had absolutely no qualms about waking you up."

"Yeah, you are pretty heartless alright." Uhura agreed with a smile followed closely by a large yawn as she watched McCoy walk back around the bio bed and sterilize his hands.

McCoy cut his eyes over at her as he began to remove the IV in Spock's left leg. "You know that you've been sleeping an awful lot, darling." He noted as he quickly applied a pressure bandage to Spock's left leg where the IV had been inserted. "While I was patching up Mr. Personality here on the operating table I did manage to catch some of the Vulcan voodoo that you and Hakausu Kril'es were laying down on Commander Sunshine." McCoy commented turning his attention to removing the IV in Spock's right leg. "It appeared to me that the ole doc wasn't able to pull Spock into the healing trance by himself." He continued as he pulled another pressure bandage out of the sterile wrap. "And that you were somehow able to do it for him." McCoy quickly placed the pressure bandage on Spock's right leg, shifting over slightly to begin to remove the IV from Spock's right arm. "Now from what I know about the Vulcans, only healers and bonded couples can manage that particular feat." He concluded as he applied the pressure bandage to Spock's arm. McCoy looked up to meet her questioning eyes and then reached over to lay his free hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "But you DO know that this cold heartless bastard CAN keep a secret don't you?"

Uhura smiled at his meaning behind his words. "Thanks Len. And yes, WE would appreciate you keeping this under wraps for now. This certainly was NOT the way we had planned on getting married and we are definitely going to need a little time to get our collective poop in a pile, tell our families, and then let everyone know."

"Your secret is safe with me, darling." Agreeing to her terms with another huge smile. "But I do have one question for you though." He added walking around the bio bed to stand next to her.

Uhura inwardly cringed. She had a feeling that she was going to owe Len big time for keeping this particular secret. "OK shoot."

"Do I call you Mrs. Spock or Mrs. Hobgoblin?" he asked straight faced but with a twinkle of mischief in his brown eyes.

"How about Lieutenant Uhura." She answered him with a mock glare as she crossed her arms in defiance at him.

"YOU are no FUN at all.' he told her as he began picking up the discarded IV equipment and tossing the pieces into the Haz-Mat refuse container next to the bedside table.

"What a coincidence, Len, Spock tells me the very same thing on occasion." She countered back at him taking great delight in her attempt to ruffle him up a bit.

He suddenly wheeled about and swiftly took the few steps which placed him next to her once again. He then leaned down so that his head was on the same level as hers. "Well maybe you should listen to your HUSBAND then."

It was Uhura's turn to be ruffled but McCoy saw it coming and moved just out of range of her jab as he chuckled good naturedly at her.

"Now don't go getting' your hackles up, Lieutenant!" he cautioned stepping back in close to her as he reached out to help her lay back down next to Spock.

She smiled up at him as he pulled the blanket back up around them both with surprising tenderness. "You're sure getting cranky and I do believe that you are in need of another nap, young lady. All that Vulcan voodoo must have taken a lot out of you." He teased her with another big smile for her. He then leaned over to pick up a padd on the bedside table showing it to her before setting it back down again. "And seeing how none of us got off the Enterprise with anything other than the clothes on our backs, the Admiral has given us free rein of the main station's store so we can get some new unis as well as some proper shore leave duds on the house as a thank you for saving all of their asses." He informed her pulling the bottom of his brand new uniform top down crisply. "So you and Sleeping Beauty here can get started on your new joint wardrobe." He then reached into both of his pockets and pulled out two credit chips and two coms laying them on the table next to the padd. "Almost forgot about your coms and chips. The chips are good anywhere on the base, EVEN the bars." He told her with a wink. "Oh yeah, and one last thing before I go. The Yorktown's command staff has assigned all of us some pretty swanky quarters too while we wait for the new Enterprise to be completed. But I bet YOU can sweet talk them into giving the two of you the Honeymoon Suite if they got one on this giant snow globe."

At first she shook her head at him and then couldn't help but break out into a huge smile. "Thanks Len." She told him sincerely.

"You are most welcome," he began with a wink for her before he turned to walk to the doorway, the door immediately swishing open for him "Mrs. Spock." He added just loud enough for only she to hear as the door quickly closed behind him.

After smiling to herself at McCoy's antics, she lay there staring up at the white ceiling for a few moments as she recalled one of her Bibi Namelok's favorite expressions: 'Isn't it amazing just how much difference a day makes'. The past 24 hours had truly been one of the wildest 'days' that she had ever had in her life and that was saying a lot. But compared to some of the other wild days that she had also barely managed to live through in the past four years, this particular 'day' definitely had a happy ending to it.

She looked over at the padd that McCoy had shown her. She slowly leaned over and reached out to take the padd in her left hand raising her left leg up to cradle the padd on her thigh as she relaxed back into the bio bed, the right side of her body snugly tucked against Spock's torso once again.

First things first. She accessed the Yorktown's living quarters assignment database. Len had been right about the Yorktown's generosity. Using Spock's ID she was able to secure a large apartment to use while they were on the station. But just to be on the safe side she also reserved an apartment under her ID as well.

She then accessed the station's main store and ordered five sets of duty uniforms for each of them. She pulled up the off duty clothing selections and her eyes were immediately drawn to three very stylish dresses, one dress in particular she immediately fell in love with. She quickly ordered them for herself. Then she found several pairs of shoes and some high boots in her size that she knew would go well with that ONE particular dress. And as for her lingerie…she picked out several sets of very sexy bras and matching panties along with some more standard Star Fleet issue ones.

Knowing Spock for so long she had a pretty good idea of what types of off duty clothing he would be comfortable wearing. And when she saw the woven blue tunic she immediately ordered it for him. She also took the liberty of ordering briefs as well as socks for him. She requested delivery of one complete duty uniform set for Spock to his room at the medical center and the rest delivered to 'their' apartment. She really wasn't' sure how Spock would feel about them cohabitating just yet, but given Kril'es' take on Spock's unwavering intention to remain married as well as her own intentions, she was fairly certain that she was not overstepping her bounds with regards to shipping her clothing to his apartment.

She reached out to lay the padd back down on the table and then carefully turned on her side and molded herself around Spock once again, tenderly wrapping her arms as far as she could around him. She placed her right hand under his neck reaching up to entwine her fingers once again in his soft hair and let the fingers on her left hand gently splay out over his healing abdomen. As she laid her head on his shoulder, she closed her eyes once again focusing on their bond and found him still at peace and pain free. Noting the chron on the wall she reasoned that she had a little over three hours before Spock would awaken from his healing trance. Just enough time for another nap she thought as she closed her eyes and quickly drifted into a contented sleep.

He became aware of the warmth of her body as he slowly awoke. He could distinctly feel her soft, supple fingers as they lay on top of the dermal regenerated skin of his healing wound. As he continued to lie there basking in her presence, his eyes remained closed so as to feel her more intensely, and the somewhat hazy memories of the past 24 hours slowly began to come clear to him. In an effort to now separate the real from the unreal, his mind tentatively reached out along his bond with Nyota. He now desperately wanted to verify that the marriage bond he shared with her was real and not somehow a dream. As he mentally traced the path of their bond, he was most gratified to find that they had indeed entered into kal'i'farr. And the memory of Nyota saving his life by mentally shoring up his body's life support systems thus allowing him to successfully enter into a healing trance became crystal clear to him as well. He felt a sudden rush of illogical male pride at being bonded in marriage to such an intelligent, fearless, determined, compassionate, and beautiful female. He slowly reached over with his right hand to entwine his fingers with those of her left hand and immediately felt their bond intensify. He slowly let out a deep sigh of contentment as a bio loop of peace and love was immediately set up between them.

He felt her right hand gently scratch at the back of his neck and his body swiftly responded to her touch with a shiver which ran like a bolt of lightening from his neck to below his waist stoking a fire within him which had lain dormant since the destruction of his home world. And as he felt his primal claim upon her flare up once again within him, he knew for a fact that she was now his as he was also hers. And he felt his heart and soul rejoice with the realization that their bodies would soon join together just as their minds had done. But not just yet. He willed himself to be patient but he could already feel his body start to rebel against the notion of delaying their joining for much longer.

And as her body began to stir against his, he felt his lok involuntarily twitch in response to her movements. He immediately began to focus on commanding his quickly reawakening libido to stand down once again. This medical center room was certainly not the place he wished to consummate their marriage within and he was quite convinced that Nyota would agree with him in this decision.

As she opened her eyes, she focused slowly on what had now become the familiar sight of Spock's chest wrapped within their shared blanket. A small sigh of contentment escaped her and she closed her eyes once again relishing the familiar feeling of warmth between them. But when she focused upon their bond she realized that he was now awake. She instantly reopened her eyes to find him looking down at her with such undisguised love and devotion that she was suddenly glad she was lying down. Because at that very moment she knew that her legs would not and could not support her. He hadn't looked at her like that since before the destruction of Vulcan. And how she had missed the intense feelings that those looks of his had given her.

She slowly drew her left hand out from under the blanket allowing her fingertips to trace a tender path along his stomach and through the hair on his bare chest before coming to rest on his still silent lips as he trembled slightly under her hand. She smiled at him happy to know that she had affected him as much as he had her. She reached up and cupped his beard roughened cheek as she raised herself up to kiss him. As their lips touched, she felt so grateful to have him healthy again as well as fully within her life once more. And as their kiss deepened she could feel her rising passion being swiftly enveloped within his own feeling of passion.

A sharp knock at the door had her instantly pulling back from him as Dr. McCoy walked swiftly through the door carrying a padd in one hand and a large shopping bag in the other one.

"Oh good" he began sarcastically "you're awake." He announced walking around to stand next to the bio bed on Uhura's side. "Commander Spock, I have here in my hands orders for your immediate release from the med center and a bag that contains a complete new uniform set no doubt ordered by Mrs.…" he paused as he sat the bag down on the bedside table before cutting his eyes back towards Uhura as she sat up in the bed quickly. "BY the ever efficient Lieutenant Uhura here of course."

Spock slowly sat up next to her eyeing McCoy warily. "Lieutenant Uhura IS most efficient, Doctor." He agreed with the still smiling doctor. Spock carefully pulled the blanket down to the foot of the bio bed and moving now in tandem, he and Uhura shifted their legs over the side of the bed to sit next to one another.

"And I am very grateful to both you and Lieutenant Uhura as well as the medical staff who rendered emergency medical care to me for my expedited release from this facility." Spock told them as he slowly stood up next to the bed reaching out to gently pull Uhura up to stand next to him.

"As well you should be." McCoy agreed cutting his eyes back to look at her a small smile reappearing again on his face. "Jim wanted to be here for the momentous occasion of your medical discharge, but couldn't. Seems he got between two high ranking Belarsian officials at the embassy bar this afternoon who were hell bent upon beating the crap out of each other."

"Oh my, did he get hurt?" Uhura asked threading her right arm thru Spock's left arm to steady herself.

"Nah, just a shiner." McCoy replied waving his hands around in an exaggerated fashion. "He's fine. But the Belarsians they didn't fare so well. Needless to say all three of them ended up down at the Admiral's office where Jim is no doubt still trying to talk his way out of trouble."

Uhura couldn't help but start laughing and McCoy quickly joined in.

"Well, seeing how you need to get you some clothes put on that don't have huge holes in them Spock, I'm going to leave you now in the capable hands of Lieutenant Uhura." He couldn't help but tease him before he left. "Oh, I almost forgot. Scotty is throwing a surprise birthday party for our black-eyed leader this evening at 19:00. And I get the dubious honor of escorting our unsuspecting birthday boy to the party. It will be in the Moscow room at the Conference Center. The room overlooks the ship construction dock and Scotty thought it would be nice for us watch some of the Enterprise A assembly together. But me personally, I'd rather not see that ship until I am forced to board her."

"We'll be…I mean I'll be there, Len." Uhura spoke up correcting herself after looking at Spock. Since they hadn't had time to say even one word to each other since they woke up, she didn't want to speak for him.

"Given my absence from duty recently, I have yet to prepare the mission report for Headquarters." Spock informed them as McCoy rolled his eyes at him in a show of open contempt.

"Well then I'll see YOU later, Lieutenant." McCoy replied with a wink for her. "Be sure to save me a seat at the bar."

"I'll be sure to do that." Uhura laughed as McCoy walked out of the room the door swishing closed behind him. Saving each other seats at the bar was a long standing joke between them

Uhura turned to Spock reaching down to tug at the remnant of the fastener of his duty trousers. "Seeing how you are way out of uniform here, would you mind a little help getting changed so you can get to that mission report, Mister?' She asked him with a hint of a smile. She was not going to let him off too easily picking a mission report over a chance to socialize with the crew.

He had already realized that he had made a grave error in his choice of activities for the evening. Unfortunately he now had the past four years of neglecting his bond mate's emotional needs to make up for. But he was now determined to rectify this situation beginning immediately.

"Nyota, I meant no disrespect to you in choosing to complete my duties ahead of attending this event with you." He explained, her nimble fingers quickly unclasping his trousers pushing at him gently to get him to sit back onto the bed, pulling the tattered trousers off of his legs and then off his still sock-clad feet. "And I also regret the years that have passed between us in which I have neglected my duties to you as your bond mate."

"I know, Spokh." She replied understanding just how hard it was for him to verbalize his feelings to her. She turned away from him briefly as she reached out to pull a new set of trousers out of the bag on the bedside table and lay them on the bio bed next to him. "I hope these fit. After all it's been some years since I ordered you any clothes." Uhura immediately regretted her time reference. "Sorry, I didn't mean it quite that way."

"My apologies to you as well for being so distant from you….both emotionally and physically during the past 4 years, 29 days, and 18 minutes." He replied looking away from her. The verbalization of the exact time since his home world was destroyed was still painful for him.

She reached out to cup his bearded left cheek in her right hand and slowly turned his head back to face her. "Then how about a 'do-over' then?"

"A 'do-over'?" Spock questioned not at all familiar with that particular term.

She giggled as she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "A 'do-over' is basically a sports term for replaying the previous play over again negating any penalties or scores made during the previous play."

He quickly leaned over and gently pressed his forehead to hers. "A do-over would be most agreeable to me."

"To me as well." She leaned back and grinned mischievously at him reaching her hand in the bag again to draw out a black set of .briefs "How 'bout this….. there just so happens to be a set of briefs for you here in the bag….perhaps if you need a little help to ….."

He stood up swiftly taking the briefs playfully from her hand as he interrupted her "While I do thank you for including these in my clothing order, Lieutenant, I find that I must now strategically withdraw to the sanitary facility in order to change into these."

She smiled at him broadly. "You big chicken!" she teased him back. "OK then I'll be here waiting for you to help you put on the REST of your uniform."

It was his turn to lean down to press a tender kiss to her lips. "And for your continued presence in my life I AM most grateful." He told her bowing his head to her in a show of respect and sincere appreciation. He was now quite determined to make their 'do-over' successful. And he would begin by courting his Nyota just as he had done on Earth while she was still a cadet. She deserved this and much more. And only when SHE was ready would he agree to consummate their marriage in the physical sense.

Her eyes widened slightly at his words as he stood back up and began to walk to the sanitary facility throwing his tattered trousers into the refuse container as he walked, the door closing silently behind him as he entered the small room.

As she watched him walk away she reached up absent mindedly to touch his mother's pendant which still lay safely beneath her uniform. She could now feel his presence inside her head and the feel of the love that he had for her was almost overwhelming. It suddenly dawned on her that he was beginning to court her all over again. It would appear that he understood the concept of a 'do-over'quite well indeed. She walked slowly to the window and looked out onto the walkways below the window. Allowing her mind to wander, she was once again impressed by both the engineering and the beauty of the Yorktown and quickly found herself lost in thought.

He hurriedly relieved himself, dropping his briefs to the floor. Stepping out of them he sanitized his hands and then pulled on the new briefs. Using a paper towel to pick up his discarded briefs he swiftly walked out of the door he dropped the briefs into the refuse container. Seeing her at the window he padded softly over to stand behind her.

She could feel his presence before he actually stood behind her. "I can feel you in here now." She told him pointing to her head with her left hand, her back still turned towards him. "No hide and seek games for us I guess." She couldn't help but tease him as he slowly leaned into her body, looking over her shoulder and down onto the busy pathways of the Yorktown with her.

He recognized the reference to the children's game. "There are ways in which we can shield our thoughts from one another and I will teach them to you." He told her feeling her lean back into him now. "But I must confess that I have grown rather fond of having YOU in here." He leaned around her so she could see him pointing to his own head.

She turned in his arms and looked up into his face a small smile appearing on her face at his admission. "And I too have grown rather fond of you being inside MY head." She confessed to him standing up on her tiptoes to kiss him quickly on the lips. "Now let's get you dressed. It's freezing in her and I don't want you to get cold."

He stepped back from her albeit reluctantly but then quickly reached out to take her right hand in his left one as they walked back to the bio bed.

She smiled up at him at his gesture as she picked up his new duty trousers off of the bio bed with her left hand. He obediently sat down on the bed releasing her right hand as he did so. Leaning down she first pulled off his socks one at a time leaving them on the floor, and then proceeded to pull the pants legs over his feet and calves one at a time as he stood up. And tried as she might to avoid doing so at such close range, she found herself staring at his muscular legs, feeling his soft body hair lightly rub against her arms as she began to pull his trousers up. She slowly stood as she continued to pull his trousers up over his legs. Knowing just how close she was now to his crotch, she turned her head to the side and did her best to think of anything other than what lay under those now tenting black briefs of his.

The feel of her hands on his legs tested his patience as well as his control as she began to pull up his trousers, her petite hands thankfully ending up on his hips. He reached down and quickly finished fastening them over the growing bulge in his briefs knowing that the stiff fabric of his duty trousers would serve to help contain and conceal his outward desire for her.

"Sit back down and I will put your socks and boots on you." She told him turning quickly away from him and reaching into the bag once again.

"Nyota you do not have to…" he began not wanting to further burden her with his footwear. He slowly sat back down on the bio bed.

"I know I don't have to, but I want to." She cut him off quickly pulling one sock onto his left foot and the other onto his right foot. She then stood up and pulled out his thermal and then his uni top setting on the bed before pulling out his boots from the bag. She then bent down once more to hold the boots out for him one at a time as he stepped down to secure each of them onto his feet.

She stood back from him reaching on top of the bio bed to pick up his black thermal undershirt holding it out to him, her hands spreading the head opening wide for him. "I meant it when I said that I didn't want you to get cold." She did her best to keep her tone business-like in order to help hide the fact that she really wanted his muscular upper body to stay just the way is was…bare.

He knew that tone of her voice quite well. She was now quite determined to help finish dressing him as quickly as she could. And he would cooperate fully with her in an effort to appease his bond mate. He knew that working well together in harmony was important in their newly formed relationship. He leaned over to allow her to place the garment over his head more easily, enjoying the feel of her warm fingers against his sides as she pulled the undershirt down into the proper position knowing that deep inside of him he would much prefer that she were undressing him instead.

She smiled at him knowingly and then reached down to the bio bed for the remaining garment. She was well aware that his body, especially his upper body had grown more muscular in the time since they had gone into space together, but holding up his tunic she swore that just the material alone would make three of her uniforms. She suddenly found herself imagining how it would feel to be on top of that large body of his preferably without any clothes on either of them. She quickly stopped her thoughts deciding that a total change of subject was now necessary if she were going to be able to finish dressing him without spontaneously combusting. "Yorktown command is giving us gratis clothing and housing while we're here." She commented as she held his tunic out for him.

He ducked his head obediently for her and immediately felt her warm hands as they trailed down along his ears, his neck, and then along his torso stopping once again at his waist. How he longed now to feel her warm, slender fingers on his bare skin. She immediately cocked one eyebrow at him in an all too familiar fashion. In her words, he had just been 'busted'. "That is most generous of them." He replied politely to her comment hoping to distract her from the carnal route that his thoughts had now taken. "May I then inquire as to our living arrangements?"

She looked at him suddenly concerned to just how he would react to her next words, but knowing now just how entwined their thoughts were now, she wanted to get everything out in the open for him. "While you were in your healing trance I secured an apartment for you, and I also reserved an apartment for myself." She quickly responded.

He immediately noted the difference in the verbalizations of her procurement of their housing selections. "Do I take by your verbiage that you secured an apartment large enough for us to cohabitate within if we agree to do so?" he questioned further as she ducked her head slightly and then shook her head in the affirmative. His heart soared with the prospect of residing within the same quarters as his k'hat'n'dlawa. "I am most grateful to learn of this, Nyota as I no longer wish to be separated from you in any way.:

She felt the truth in his words. She no longer wanted to be separated from him either. "Well then, let's blow this joint and see what type of digs Yorktown command has seen fit to give us." she told him reaching out to pick up their credit chips handing one to him and then handing him his com as she attached her com to her uniform..

"Although I am unfamiliar with the terms 'blow this joint' or "digs" I am confident enough in our relationship to agree with you as to our immediate course of action." He replied to her as he placed his chip and com securely within the pockets of his duty trousers, He then reached out to envelop her right hand within his left one gently pulling her towards the door, picking up the shopping bag off the bedside table in the process..

"My but you catch on quickly, Commander." She teased him. And as she felt the warmth of his hand surrounding hers she couldn't help but wonder just how quickly he would catch on to the human sexuality part of their new relationship.

Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes skyward pretending innocence but knowing that she had just been busted too.

They left the medical center walking slowly hand in hand along one of the pathways that led to the guest apartment building stopping at the entrance of an open air market. The smell of grilling vegetables made her realize just how hungry she was now.

"You are in need of nourishment and I too am in need of non-liquid sustenance. Perhaps we should pick up some juices, fruits, and vegetables to take back to the apartment." He said to her tugging her hand gently as he turned to enter the marketplace.

Their shopping bag came in quite handy and they loaded it to capacity, stopping at several of the food booths to do so. At the last food booth, Uhura ordered six large vegetable wraps for them and as she carried the bag the enticing aroma from the wraps made her mouth water. She sped up slightly anxious now to get inside so they could eat. She was starving.

As they walked up to 'their' apartment, they found two large boxes sitting side by side under the access control panel.

"Our clothes!" Uhura exclaimed looking over at Spock who laid his right hand on to the touch pad and then typed in his access code that the command center had commed him while they were shopping for food. The door silently opened for them. She reached out to take the well laded shopping bag from him and he reached down to pick up the packages before walking into the apartment ahead of her.

Even though he reasoned that there were no hidden dangers inside the apartment it did not matter to him: he had been engaging in the male Vulcan ritual of protection for his Nyota for years now. And now that they were married he had an even more pressing need to protect her. He felt his male ego surge upon entering the apartment. He suddenly had the urge to simply drop the boxes on the sofa table, pick her up bodily, and take her to 'their' bed. Their meal could wait until after they had consummated their marriage….several times. Once again he had to force his libido to stand down. Her health was paramount to him. She required sustenance at this time and his needs would always fall behind hers.

As she walked through the door behind him she immediately noticed the spaciousness of the fully furnished apartment. It was light and bright, tastefully decorated and not at all what she had expected. As she walked to the kitchen she placed the bags on the counter next to the refrigeration unit as he turned away from her walking into the living area to place their clothing boxes on the low sofa table.

As she began to insert the vegetables into the unit she unexpectedly found herself drifting back to their many times together at the Academy after they had bonded when they would return to his instructor's apartment after a shopping trip. How she had missed sharing such simple tasks with him. And now she was so grateful to be sharing such tasks with him once again.

She carefully placed the fruit into a large bowl and set it on the bar. She then reached up into one of the cabinets and pulled down two tall glasses for their juice. As she poured each of them a glass full of juice she knew that so much had changed between them within the past 24 hours. They were married now. She could feel the quick tug of his mind and she realized that his intentions were at present drawn away from consuming their meal and that he now desired to consummate their new relationship ahead of their meal together. She turned her head and watched as he straightened himself up and stood silently with his back towards her and the kitchen. She could tell by the tension in his body that he was currently attempting to control himself. And it was no secret to her why. He was very determined to 'make up' for his lack of courtship of her for the last four plus years. And she would respect his decision to do so even though in her heart she too longed to be with him as husband and wife now.

"Come." She implored softly in Vuhlkansu "We must eat before our meal grows too cold to be palatable."

He immediately began to turn around, his shoulders sagging minutely as he swiftly walked across the room to enter the kitchen. "As you wish." He replied his eyes looking down to capture hers with a fierce intensity before quickly mellowing once again. "I do apologize for my momentary lack of attendance to your needs. You are quite correct in that we must both consume nourishment at this time."

She placed two plates next to one another on the bar top reaching into the bag to pull out two wraps placing immediately upon one of the plates. She then placed one wrap on the other plate.

He retrieved the tall glasses of juice setting them next to the plates for her. He then turned back to her and reached out to pull her left hand into the crook of his right arm and slowly began to lead her around the bar to the chairs. Pulling out one of the chairs for her he waited for her to sit and then slowly slid the chair towards the bar for her knowing that the chair height would make it difficult for her to do by herself.

"Thank you, kind sir." She tilted her head up to look into his face as she spoke with a warm smile for him at his thoughtfulness.

"You are most welcome, my lady." He replied quickly sitting down next to her quietly adjusting his chair to be close to her but not too close as to crowd her.

She quickly ate her wrap and Spock did the same with his two wraps. He reached out and opened the wrap bag back up placing two more wraps on her plate.

"Two of those wraps are for you. I'm good with having just two of them plus some fruit." She told him in no uncertain terms. "You need to eat so you can get your strength back after your injury."

"I am healed." He replied reaching out to slide the fruit bowl towards her.

"Mostly." She informed him with a raised eyebrow.

"Mostly." He affirmed looking away from her and down at his vegetable wraps. "There is only tenderness remaining now." He explained to her looking up to once again recapture her eyes. "But I am entirely fit for duty." He added with the hope that she understood that husbandly duties were included in his statement.

She arched an eyebrow as the meaning behind his words became clear to her though their bond and then she began to smile mischievously at him. "Well I don't know about that, Commander. Considering the complexities and outcomes of our most recent mission, that report is going to be pretty tough to write and will no doubt be VERY fatiguing." She couldn't help but tease him now sensing that his masculine pride was on the line here. She popped the last of her wrap in her mouth and reached for an orange and began to peel it, dropping the discarded peels onto her now empty plate.

"Perhaps mentally fatiguing, but certainly not physically fatiguing." He countered back to her having just eaten his two wraps with surprising speed after he quickly drained half his juice glass. He was now in the process of peeling a banana.

She smiled approvingly at him as she placed the last slice of orange in her mouth and glanced at the cron on the kitchen wall noting that she had only an hour before Kirk's surprise party.

He watched her look up at the chron and reached out for her plate. "I will clean our dishes and put away the fruit." He told her rising up to stand besides her as he gently pulled her chair away from the bar. He then reached out with both hands to take her elbows gently in his hands in order to help her climb out of the tall chair. "You have a limited amount of time in which to prepare for the Captain's party."

She stood up on her toes and kissed him softly in silent thanks for his help, her thoughts quickly turning mischievous once again. "Too bad you are not going to the party because we could shower together to save both time and water." She then smiled broadly at him to which he raised both eyebrows at her in return.

"If we were to shower together we would save neither time nor water and you would no doubt miss the Captain's party all together." He openly teased her back as she giggled at him. He realized just how long it had been since he had found levity in their conversations turning towards the sexual. This lapse in their relationship too needed to end.

"You are quite sure of yourself aren't you, mister?" she questioned him with a wide smile turning on her heel to walk past the sofa table and leaning down quickly to pick up her box of clothes on her way to the shower.

"I am." He stated simply and she smiled over her shoulder at him as she walked into the bedroom. He immediately felt the loss of her presence in the room and he once again rethought his decision to forego Kirk's party as well as the shower with her.

"What's all this?" Uhura called out to him as she walked by the large bed. On the foot of the bed was a large box with a note on top in Vuhlkansu script from Hakausu Kril'es addressed to them both. And next to the bed sat a beautiful, deep red asenoi. She looked down at the box and quickly began to read the message as Spock joined her and began to read the note with her.

The note read: 'Ko-te'kru T'Pau and Osu Sarek send their congratulations as do my adun'a and I on the occasion of your kal'i'farr. Enclosed are some items which you may find useful to you both during this time. As joint meditation will serve to strengthen your bond even further, to that end it is our desire that this asenoi serves you well in this regard. It is also our wish that you find the quarters that we have set up for you both during your stay on the Yorktown most satisfactory. Ko-te'kru T'Pau and Osu Sarek have sent a personalized message to your com station here in your apartment. Message code 1221.012. My Adun'a and I are en-route to Earth to our new posts and it is our most fervent desire to see you both in the near future when you return to Earth before the redeployment of the Enterprise. Live Long and Prosper'

"Shall I open it?" she asked him quietly quickly glancing around at the beautifully decorated large bedroom. Kril'es and his adun'a had apparently put quite some effort into 'setting up' their apartment.

"Please do." He replied reaching out to take the hand written note from the top of the large box so that she could open it unhindered.

Inside the box were two Vulcan ceremonial robes with the name of Spock's clan stitched elegantly upon them along with each of their given names. Uhura laid each one out on the bed to admire them in turn. "These are so beautiful, Spokh."

Upon hearing her call his name with such emotion he was suddenly unable to control his passion for her as he tentatively reached out to touch her richly decorated robe. He found himself wishing that she were only clothed in that garment now so he would have the honor as her adun of pulling the robe from her luscious body and then joining with her. How he ached to hear her call out his name in the heat of their passion.

She reached out to touch the collar of his robe with the fingertips of her left hand. How she longed to bury her hands beneath its sash, her fingertips finding the hard plan of his abdominal muscles before reaching lower to encircle him.

They looked up at each other at the same exact time both of their sets of eyebrows raised in surprise. Uhura burst out laughing. "Guess we better behave ourselves now and finish looking at the contents of this box or I really will be missing Kirk's birthday party and you definitely will not be finishing your mission report on time."

Spock felt the truth of her words as he reached back into the box pulling out four complete sets of bed sheets apparently for the apartment's bed. Given the high thread count and the fact that they were made from Bavgorian fibers made them both strong as well as soothing to the skin. A most logical gift for them considering the amount of time as well as the activities that would take place on and between these sheets hopefully in the very near future.

Uhura couldn't help but raise one eyebrow at him. "I'd say we have plenty of sheets for the bed to last us for at least a few nights." She responded taking pleasure in seeing his eyes widen slightly at her inference.

"Perhaps." He countered causing her eyes to now widen slightly as she realized that he was being quite serious in his response.

She quickly turned her head away from him and slowly reached inside the box pulling out an ornate carved wooden stand containing three large bottles and one large jar which had been carefully packed between the sheets. Reading the names inscribed upon the bottles she knew these to contain some form of oil. She looked up at Spock questioningly.

"These are medicinal in nature." He explained then pointed to the dark green one "This is used to relax muscles that have become stiff and sore." He then pointed to the deep red bottle. "This one is for friction reduction to eliminate chafing." He then he pointed to the golden bottle. "And this oil is designed to penetrate into the deeper tissues to increase blood flow and rejuvenate the muscles quickly."

She then pulled out the orange jar and she slowly removed the lid from it. The jar contained what appeared to be some kind of salve. She held the jar up to her nose and inhaled the wondrous scent. It smelled of mint and juniper and at least 20 other things that she couldn't identify but immediately loved.

Spock reached out to gently take her hand guiding the jar to his face as he too inhaled the fragrance of the salve. "This is used to remove bruises and marks from the skin."

"Such as scratches, bites, AND passion marks." she confirmed remembering back to their trip back to the African continent to meet her family when she discovered on the beach under a moon lit sky just how passionate her Spokh could be, stopping just short of becoming intimate with each other but not by much.

His eyes opened widely as he released her hand and quickly ducked his head slightly in what Uhura knew was embarrassment. "That is correct." He replied as she dutifully placed the lid back on the jar.

She needed to put him at peace once more. "Spokh, I know that you will never hurt me on purpose. And I already have a pretty good idea of what to expect from our joining." She told him gently reaching out to entwine the fingers of her right hand with his left ones giving him a gentle smile as his eyes rose to meet hers once again. "And I'll have you know that I'm pretty tough too, Mister. " She added her thoughts turning lustful once again. "After all it might just be you who in need of some of these medicines after I get finished having my way with you."

"You are indeed physically formable." He replied squeezing her fingers gently "And I am well aware that BOTH of us will be in need of these medicinal oils and salve at some point during our joining." Not wanting to lose his tenuous control over his passion and lust with the direction that their conversation was taking, he quickly glanced towards the chron on the bedside table. "You do not have much time remaining to ready yourself for the Captain's party."

"You sound as if you are trying to get rid of me now. I didn't scare you off did I?" She teased him standing up slowly and picking up her clothes box once again.

"NEVER." He told her definitively "To use a human term I believe that we are STUCK with each other now….forever."

As she walked through the door of the sanitary facility room she turned and smiled brightly at him "You better believe it and with Tholian glue too." She replied as the door to the room slid shut between them.

What she found inside the room made her heart beat rapidly within her chest in excitement. Not only was there a stone open shower that was large enough to easily contain at least two persons, but there was a real garden tub next to the shower that she reasoned was just big enough to hold both her and her rather large Vulcan husband comfortably. She quickly shifted into high gear as she pulled off her uniform and stepped into the shower. She couldn't remember the last time she took a real bath but she knew without a doubt that she would remember the one that she and Spokh would soon take together for the rest of her life. Stepping into the shower she smiled to herself as she noted the rich varieties of Vulcan body washes and shampoos which sat in perfectly spaced rows on the uppermost rock ledge. It would seem that she owed Kril'es and his adun'a a huge 'thank you' indeed for such indulgements.

As Spock set the last cleaned dish within the cabinet he heard the security system ping with the announcement of a visitor at their front door. He walked swiftly to the door commanding it to open. There before him stood one of the members of the Vulcan delegation that he had met with prior to the Enterprise's departure for Altamid.

"Commander Spokh" he began with a swift bow of his head. "This package had arrived for you after the Enterprise's departure from the Yorktown."

Spock reached out and retrieved the small package that was offered to him. He bowed his head in return. "My thanks to you for the delivery of this package." He told the Vulcan who nodded once to him and then turned on his heel walking swiftly back down the hall.

Spock took the package inside now curious as to its contents. He placed it upon the sofa table unwrapping it carefully. Suddenly his vision became somewhat blurred as he read the inscription on the outside of the elaborately decorated chest. This had belonged to Ambassador Spokh. He slowly opened the box marveling at all of its contents as he held them one by one and examined them. And when he opened up the pictograph he immediately knew that his decision to stay with Star Fleet and of course with his Nyota had indeed been the correct decision for him. There before him was a picture of the elder Spock and 'his' command crew from the Enterprise. And as his eyes fell upon Ambassador Spokh's Uhura, Spock felt a sudden sorrow overcome him to realize that Ambassador Spokh had not been bonded to 'his' Uhura. But he was quite grateful that the Ambassador had had such good friends…such good family with him during his career with Star Fleet and beyond.

Uhura had quickly showered and put on the dress that she had favored. As she looked at herself in the large mirror she reached up to trace her fingertips across Spokh's mother's amulet now resting on her bare chest. She was rewarded immediately with an intense feeling of both belonging and contentment. She silently slipped on her boots leaving the other contents of her clothing box on 'her' side of the vanity cabinet sectional.

Spock carefully put away the contents of Ambassador Spock's chest closing the top and placing it on one of the smaller side tables next to the sofa. Later after Kirk's party he would share its contents with Nyota. He did not want to burden her emotionally at this moment. He reasoned that after such a stressful 24 hour period, the socialization time with their crewmates at Kirk's party would serve to bolster her emotional well-being. He would discuss the Ambassador's death as well as his own feelings in detail with her later. She deserved to understand all of the facts surrounding his now aborted decision to leave Star Fleet.

As she walked out of the bedroom she watched as he turned away from the large window in the living area to face her. She noticed immediately that his eyes were fiercely possessive of her as he looked her over from head to toe before stopping at her chest. She knew that he was now focused on his mother's amulet. Through out the years since he had given it to her, she had chosen her clothing with the express desire to hide the amulet from the view of others with the understanding that by doing so she was somehow protecting their relationship AND him from undue scrutiny. But with the events of the last 24 hours she was now convinced that she had been so wrong in hiding such a token of his love for her. She would now wear it out in full display for everyone to see. His eyes quickly locked with hers and she felt as if time had suddenly stopped, trapping them in this moment together.

Even though he knew it shouldn't be possible, he suddenly found himself in the midst of shan'hal'lak for the second time in his life as his eyes beheld her in all her radiance and he swiftly looked her up and down devouring her with his eyes. And as she looked up into his eyes he felt that the breath had somehow been stolen from his body. Her dark eyes grew even more luminous as they continued to lock eyes with one another. Although he now had no control over his body he could feel himself walk towards her. The smile on her face grew wider with each step he took as he quickly bridged the gap between them. The fact that she now wore his mother's amulet upon her chest for all to see had struck him like a lightning bolt. She would no longer hide her love for him.

He leaned down to capture her lips in a kiss that blazed across his nerve endings setting his soul on fire with his love for her. He immediately felt her pour her love back into their kiss and it quickly deepened as his body instinctively responded to the touch, feel, and taste of her.

As he kissed her she felt as if her body had been set on fire. She could feel her blood burn for him now. As she continued to be consumed by him she began to hear and then feel her com. Even though she wished to ignore it given the feel of his mouth and body against hers, her duty won out as she gently pushed him away from her.

His eyes were totally black with desire as they broke the kiss and she immediately regretted her decision to answer her com. "Uhura" she answered trying her best not to sound too out of breath.

"Ben and I are happy to hear that Commander Spock has recovered from his injury." Sulu began "And we are wondering if you two knew about Kirk's surprise party. We didn't want you two to be left out. "

"Yeah, McCoy told us about the party." She replied feeling Spock slowly withdrawing from her. Even though she was beginning to regret agreeing to go to the party, she had made a promise to McCoy and would not go back on that promise. She looked over at the chron on the table. "I should be there in about 10 minutes or so."

"Affirmative. See you then." Sulu replied quickly disconnecting the call.

She sighed heavily and then looked up into Spock's face once more. "I won't stay long, I promise." She told him standing on her toes to plant a soft kiss on his left cheek.

He bowed his head towards her in acknowledgement. "I will await your return."

As she walked through the front doorway her heart began to constrict. She did not want to leave him at all but she promised herself that she would somehow make her absence up to him. After all it was their wedding night and with four sets of sheets for that enormous bed of theirs, she began to plan the ways she would make sure that those sheets were put to good use.

As he watched her go and his heart began to melt with her absence, he became acutely aware of his male pride and ego rising up swiftly within him. He simply could not let his wife appear at a public function without him and most definitely not on their wedding day. He immediately began taking off his uniform starting with his tunic and thermal shirt as he almost sprinted towards the shower. He quickly removed his boots, socks, and duty trousers as he commanded the shower to its hottest setting. This would be after all a very short shower. Finished with his shower and toweling his hair and body quickly dry, he padded on bare feet to the living room to retrieve his clothing box. He pulled out briefs, socks, a pair of dark blue dress pants, and finally a dark blue woven tunic the style of which pleased him greatly. His Nyota knew his tastes quite well. And this too pleased him.

And only 6.5 minutes after Nyota had left their apartment he too was on his way to the Captain's surprise party, walking briskly along the path towards the Yorktown's Conference Center. He found that he had to suppress the urge to run as he caught sight of the building. Once inside he immediately walked to the interactive directory and quickly sought out the Moscow Room. Within seconds he was once again on his way towards his Nyota.

As he walked into the room it was obvious that Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy had yet to arrive. He scanned the room quickly immediately finding his wife deep in conversation with Lt. Sulu and his husband, Ben who was holding their daughter out to Nyota who then took the child within her arms eagerly.

Spock turned towards the bar and waited somewhat patiently to order an ale for himself and a sparkling water for her. He had known that she had given up imbibing alcohol before they left from Earth after their disastrous encounter with Khan, although she had never shared with him the exact reason for her abstinence.

As he approached them, Ben retrieved his daughter from Nyota's arms, their daughter smiling brightly at Nyota.

"Commander!" Sulu called out happily to him as he walked up to them. "Good to see you up and about again."

"Thank you." He replied slowly extending his right hand out to Nyota who took the proffered glass her face lighting up in a huge smile for him. "It is good to BE up and about after recent events."

Ben nudged Sulu with his shoulder and Sulu nodded knowingly at him. "I think someone's thirsty here. We'll talk to you later." He announced with a bright smile for them before joining Ben and his daughter as they walked towards the bar.

"Th'i-oxalra, Spokh." She told him, her face still beaming with delight that he decided to attend Kirk's party and she was so happy to be close to him once again.

As he was about to lean down to kiss her, Scotty walked swiftly by them on his way to the door with two scotch whiskeys in hand. Apparently it was time for the 'birthday boy' to arrive. Spock leaned back from her, reaching out to gently steer Nyota towards the entrance as Kirk and McCoy entered the room and were immediately greeted by shouts and whistles from the crew.

"What would I do without you?" Uhura asked him her voice barely rising above the din of the room. Not able to contain her emotions any more and with her eyes now shining with her absolute love for him, she looked up at him as they came to a stop.

He leaned down to look at her once again quickly becoming lost in her mahogany orbs. "It is now my sole intention that you never again have to ask that question as I will forever be at your side." He replied solemnly as he bowed his head respectfully to her. As he raised his head, he once again recaptured her eyes with his own silently vowing to never need to ask that question with regards to her either.


End file.
